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What yummy lemon desserts do you enjoy?

Usually, there's nothing that can satisfy my sweet tooth more than chocolate. But occasionally, I find myself craving something tart and sweet ... usually something citrusy, and of course, it doesn't hurt if there's icing, shortbread, or powdered sugar involved!

Hence why lemon bars -- you know, with that ooey-gooey, sugary lemon topping and butterycookiecrust ... mmmm
-- are an all-time fave of mine. It's also pretty easy to whip up a
batch of 'em (especially if you have a food processor), so you can enjoy
a cafe-perfect bar from the comfort of your own home. Whoohoo!

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugars for 1
minute or so, until the sugar is very fine. Add the butter and pulse in
until the sugar disappears. Add the flour and pulse in until there are
a lot of little moist crumbly pieces and no dry flour particles
remain.

Dump the mixture into a plastic bag and press it together. Remove
the dough from the plastic bag and knead it lightly, until it holds
together.

Place 1 oven rack in the middle of the oven.Preheat oven to 325°F.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Use a fork to prick the dough all over.

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the top is pale golden (do not brown).

While the shortbread is baking, prepare the lemon topping.

Have a strainer, suspended over a bowl, ready near the range.

In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the egg yolks and sugar
with a wooden spoon until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice,
butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for
about 6 minutes, until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce,
which thickly coats a wooden spoon but is still liquid enough to pour.
(A candy thermometer will read 196°F.) The mixture will change from
translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the back of
a wooden spoon. It must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle. (It
will steam above 140°F. Whenever steaming occurs, remove the pan
briefly from the heat, stirring constantly to prevent boiling.)

When the topping has thickened, pour it at once into the strainer.
Press it with the back of a spoon until only the coarse residue
remains. Discard the residue. Stir in the lemon zest.

When the shortbread is baked, remove it from the oven, lower the
temperature to 300°F, pour the lemon topping on top of the shortbread,
and return it to the oven for 10 minutes.

Cool the lemon-topped shortbread completely in the pan on a wire
rack. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes to set the lemon part
completely before cutting into bars. Place the powdered sugar in a
strainer and tap the strainer with a spoon to sprinkle a thick, even
coating, entirely covering the lemon.

Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the
pastry on the 2 sides without the aluminum foil. Use the foil to lift
out the lemon-covered shortbread onto a cutting surface. Use a long,
sharp knife to cut the shortbread first in thirds, then in half the
other way, and then each half in thirds. Wipe the blade after each cut.

The powdered sugar will start to be absorbed into the lemon topping
after several hours, but it can be reapplied before serving.

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